L'isola delle foche

"Seal Island", produced in 1949, is known as Disney's first nature documentary and runs 26 minutes. It studies animal life on Seal Island, which is a small island in the Bering Sea. The life cycle of the seals is the dominant theme, of course, although the documentary talks about the other animal residents of the island too. Because it was Disney's first attempt at a nature documentary, it is awkward at spots. It tends to get very slow at one point, and then picks up the tempo with a bloody battle between feuding male seals fighting for dominance that tends to be a bit graphic.

Disney was a pioneer in these kinds of films that are so commonly done today. Without today's technology this still stands up as being clearly photographed and being able to follow motion without giving you a headache. I'd recommend it but I know of no way to get your hands on it other than a DVD set that is now out of print and being held hostage by scalpers - "Walt Disney Legacy Collection - True Life Adventures, Vol. 2".

A look at the life of the fur seals on Seal Island (in the Aleutians) which co-inhabit the island with reindeer and scrawny looking foxes, lupins, lichens and other colourful plants that also thrive here in the lighter months. Bull seals (weighing almost as much as an horse... big horse, little horse?) arrive. Apparently seals have a common ancestor with a bear? Seals are polygamous and may have 100 wives... Yes, you get the drift. The narrative is very fact-based but despite trying to give some of the creatures human names and traits ("Mrs" etc.) is actually rather dry. The photography is quite innovative though, especially with the puffins and other seabirds. Then the female seals arrive and the bulls start to get a bit broody - the month of June, and hormones go a-raging. The score is quite jolly and carries the Hibler narration along for an entertaining half hour and the nimbler cows create quite a sense of fun on land and sea. Worth a watch, I think.

A Walt Disney TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURE Short Subject.

This excellent little documentary studies the saga of life ON SEAL ISLAND, one of the tiny specks of land in the Bering Sea. We witness the arrival of the bull fur seals, who stake out individual territory on the beach and await the arrival of the females. How the harems are gathered & the young tended is examined. Other inhabitants of the island, including its myriad & colorful bird life, are noted.

`This is one of a series of TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES presenting strange facts about the world we live in. These films are photographed in their natural settings and are completely authentic, unstaged and unrehearsed.' Winston Hibler is the narrator.

It's the Pribiloff Islands in the Arctic Ocean, and one island in particular. With spring comes flowers, and eventually, huge hordes of seals to court, to fight, to bear young seals and to train them for the rest of the year spent at sea.

The first of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures is a very good nature documentary narrated by Winston Hibler, talking about what goes on on the island in language that fits within the narrow confines of the Hays Office, with only a few terms like referring to the many mates of the dominant seals as harems. Hibler's narration is matter-of-fact and slightly amused, the movie is well edited, and it's quite understandable that it won the Oscar for best two-reel short subject -- even though it's three reels in length.

Future True-Life Adventures would continue with the fine camerawork, although they would eventually have elaborate stories woven into their fabric. For the moment, this was a fine documentary.

1948's 'Seal Island' is the first short film in the Disney True Life Adventures series, and also signalled the beginning of the series. All the series is worth watching and musts for anybody intrigued by old nature documentaries, even the weakest 'White Wilderness' has a lot of pleasures, though some films are better than others. While liking very much almost all the True Life Adventures feature length films, there is a preference for the more consistent and more tonally focused short films.

One of the best is 'Seal Island'. Fans of seals, like me (with me living in a fishing town where there are regular seal sightings), will be in heaven. As far as seal documentaries go, both as focusing entirely on seals or seeing them touched upon in ground-breaking nature documentary series, it doesn't get much better or more comprehensive than 'Seal Island'. It is beautiful and fascinating and despite it not being feature length (like it could have been) it is impossible to not be riveted by it.

'Seal Island' looks beautiful for one thing. It's beautifully shot in vivid colour and the scenery is completely natural and is gorgeous and unyielding in equal measure. The music is not used too much, fits well tonally and doesn't over-bear in terms of sound. Personally didn't detect any awkwardness, and thought it was remarkably natural despite it being a series debut and considering its age.

From start to finish, 'Seal Island' is highly informative and found myself learning a lot about seals. It is also accessible for all ages, despite being quite graphic for back then the male seal battle shouldn't disturb younger viewers too much (far more disturbing scenes in nature documentaries have happened since) and it is not juvenile for adults.

Did feel that almost all the feature films in the True Life Adventures series had moments where the jokiness was overdone and that parts were a little too cute. That to me was not the case with the short films, which were more focused tonally and were more sure of their target audience. It, and all the other short films, are more serious than the feature films generally in the series, but not overly so, there are moments also of adorable playfulness. The footage is fantastic at its best and it doesn't look manipulative or staged, the male seal battle certainly wasn't any of those.

Winston Hibler's narration delivery has always divided those that have watched the True Life Adventures films, personally had no problem with it in all but one. Here it is good natured and even the more deadpan delivery doesn't come over as that monotone.

Overall, wonderful and a must if you love seals. 10/10.